Go Fish
by SimonStormcloak
Summary: An old man is having trouble getting the fish scales he needs to sell so he can retire. What's worse is that he almost just got his leg bit off, so going back in is out of the question. So how is he going to get the scales?


"Going for another swim, eh Aelwin?" Narussa the Altmer said, watching Aelwin Merowald strip off his shoes and hang his legs over the dock.

"Yes," Aelwin muttered. "Once again."

Narussa gave a slight chuckle, her golden blonde hair falling onto her shoulders.

"You're trying too hard, Aelwin," She proclaimed. "Stressing yourself out isn't going to get you any closer to that retirement money."

The past few days, Aelwin had been extremely tired, waking up in the morning to spend a whole day swimming around, killing Slaughterfish. Every day he'd do the same thing. But it was about to end.

Aelwin sighed. "I'm so close, Narussa." He said. "I just need to get those scales. Only twelve more until I can hand them over to that alchemist. And then I'll have more than enough money than needed to retire."

The old Breton stood up, putting his rough leather shoes aside on a crate.

"Well, good luck." Said Narussa, who then turned and walked back to the tavern.

Aelwin turned towards the dock. He pulled a small iron knife from his pocket. He had been using it to kill Slaughterfish, and had so far collected thirty eight scales. There were twelve to go, and he didn't feel like stopping now. He took a few steps back, then ran forward and jumped off the dock, plugging his nose as he landed in the water with a _splash_.

He floated to the top, shaking his head rapidly and rubbing his closed eyes to get the water away. The lake was salty, as usual, and cold. But Aelwin had grown used to it over his fifteen years as a fisherman. Almost every day, he would go for a swim in the water. It relaxed him, even though the water was cold. He didn't enjoy swimming quite so much anymore, partially because he never before had to spend the whole damn day in the water killing fish and collecting their scales. It was good exercise, sure, but the fish didn't help.

Nevertheless, he faced the task with a tough face, ready for whatever the Divines had to throw at him. Nothing was going to stop Aelwin Merowald, especially not a pack of damned fish!

Aelwin took off, propelling himself off the dock wall and into the cold water of Lake Rumare. He swam, knife in hand, to a small rock, where he lifted himself up and took a good look at the waters in front of him. He looked very carefully, spotting around five Slaughterfish in his immediate vicinity. Expanding his search farther on, he spotted whole packs of them, most likely numbering around eighteen in total. He did a quick count with his fingers to make sure he was right, then dived headfirst into the water.

Opening his eyes underwater didn't really hurt anymore, since he had his prized ring, the Jewel of the Rumare. He had won the ring two years back while gambling in the Wawnet Inn, run by Narussa. He went there to eat whenever he got tired of fish, and occasionally had a game of luck with the patrons. The ring seemed to fortify his ability to swim, letting him go much faster and much longer. It was also enchanted with a waterbreathing ability, the most useful trait to him. It essentially gave him invisible gills. Breathing in water felt like breathing in bubbles, except he didn't drown.

He made use of the ring's power to take a look around, spotting the first Slaughterfish nary ten feet away. He kicked with all his force, propelling himself towards the fish, preparing his knife to stab. He grabbed the fish by the side. The scales felt rough in his hand, but he was used to it after all his years being a fisherman.

Aelwin raised the knife and brought it down over the fish's head. But before the sharp iron could plunge through the Slaughterfish, he felt a searing pain on his left leg. It was so immense that he had to let go of the fish, dropping the knife and grabbing his leg. The fish swallowed the knife for some odd reason and floated away while Aelwin looked down to his leg. A stray Slaughterfish had attached itself to his leg, biting down hard with its sharp teeth.

He let out a gasp of pain, bubbles coming from his mouth while he wrestled the Slaughterfish, trying to get the damned creature off his leg. Aelwin grabbed it's scale with both hands and ignored the horrible pain as he pulled with all his might, finally getting the fish off of his leg. All the squeezing and wrangling had finally killed the damn thing, and he could finally move again. This only negated a small amount of the pain, however, and blood still floated from his wound, turning the water around him red.

Aelwin kicked with his right leg, floating up to the surface. He could see the Slaughterfish coming towards him, attracted by the smell of blood coming from his leg. He began swimming as fast as he could, racing to shore with a red streak tailing behind him.

Panting, he finally climbed on to shore, only a few metres away from the dock, where his shoes still lay on the crate. Aelwin started limping towards the dock, his leg bleeding terribly. He'd have to get a bandage. When he got to the dock, Aelwin took his shoes in one hand and opened the crate. Inside was a pair of callipers and nothing else. Cursing, he dragged his damaged leg, scraping it along the ground and letting out moans of pain until he reached the Wawnet Inn.

Aelwin swung the door open, staggering down into the main area, where an Imperial Legionnaire sat, drinking mead while Narussa tended the bar. The guard stood up at the sight of Aelwin, and Narussa gasped as she saw him fall down on the floor.

"My leg..." Aelwin said, holding it tight. "Oh gods, my leg..."

"Aelwin!" Narussa cried in shock. "What happened?"

The guard came to stand beside Narussa, staring down at the wounded old man.

"Slaughterfish..." Aelwin gasped. "One of them... they got me leg."

"Oh, that's horrible!" Narussa shouted. "I'll be right back with some bandages."

Aelwin nodded in pain, looking down to his leg. The middle of it was covered in blood, with tiny little holes dotting the area in a small circle. The Legionnaire knelt beside Aelwin, making sure he was okay.

"Do you mind if I touch it?" The soldier said. "I want to assess the damage."

Aelwin nodded, tears rolling down his red face. The guard took off his dark steel gauntlet, laying a hand on Aelwin's wound. The touch of the guard's hand burned, but Aelwin held fast, grimacing as the Legionnaire applied slight pressure.

"You should be okay." Said the Legionnaire. "It's not too deep, and should be fine in a few days if properly treated."

Aelwin nodded his head in thanks a Nerussa emerged from the back with bandages and a few ingredients in her hands.

"Aloe Vera and Lady's Mantle leaves." She said, sitting down in front of Aelwin. "They should make the pain go away, but you'll have to rest that leg for the next few days."

Narussa turned to the guard. "Is he going to be okay? How's the wound?"

"Not permanent," said the Legionnaire, putting his steel glove back on. "Like I said to Aelwin, the teeth didn't go too deep, just cause immense pain in a concentrated area. You were right in saying he'll need to rest that leg; he won't be able to use it for the next few weeks. And even then, it'll be extremely weak. It's not likely that it will ever recover to it's full state, but it's the best we can do for now."

"Wait a minute," Aelwin interjected, still wincing in pain. "Does this mean my fishing career is over?"

The guard turned his head. "Quite possibly." He confirmed. "I hope you can get another job, or have enough money to retire, because with that leg, you're not going fishing for a while."

Aelwin turned to Narussa, his head low in depression.

"And to think I was only twelve scales away..." He sighed. "I guess I'll never be able to retire now."

Narussa frowned. "Don't think like that, Aelwin." She said. "Be optimistic. Surely there will be some kind soul generous to help you. That is, once you're well again. I shouldn't find you out of the house or the Inn while you're still recovering, is that clear?"

"Alright," replied Aelwin. "I guess I could use with some rest."

"Quite indeed." Narussa replied, grabbing a bottle of wine from the shelf. "You've put enough stress on yourself anyway."

"And for what?" Aelwin proclaimed, miserable as ever. "Now I won't be able to get the scales to the Alchemist in time, and I won't get the money he promised."

"Hold up a bit." The Legionnaire interrupted. "How many scales do you have at the moment?"

"Thirty eight." Aelwin said. "Why?"

"I can deliver them for you," said the guard. "Just tell me the name of the alchemist and I'll fill him in on what happened to you. Maybe he'll show mercy and give you the reward anyway."

"Are you serious?" Aelwin said, smiling as Narussa poured some wine onto a cloth and dabbed it on the wound.

"Of course I am." The guard said. "After all, is it not the duty of an Imperial Guard to serve and protect the citizens of the Empire?"

Aelwin nearly laughed. "Thank you so much." He said. "And you won't take a Septim of it?"

The guard chuckled. "And why would I? Being a guard pays well enough, I don't need to steal to get by." He laughed.

"Gods, this is looking better and better." Aelwin exclaimed. "Now I just need to hope that the alchemist has mercy on this old man. His name is Ogier Georick, by the way. He owns a shop called The Main Ingredient in the Market District."

"I'll find him." The guard promised. "But for now, it might be best to rest that leg. In fact, I would recommend you go to bed. I'll be leaving here soon, after I finish my meal."

"You heard the man," Narussa said to Aelwin. "Upstairs."

Sighing, Aelwin took Narussa's hand as he stood up, her arm around his as he hopped on one leg.

"Thank you so much again." Aelwin said to the Legionnaire as Narussa carried him up.

"No problem." The guard replied. "Always happy to help a citizen."

**So, how was that? I hope it satisfied your need for reading. This isn't just a oneshot, I'll be continuing this story until the end. It's based on the "Go Fish" quest in Oblivion. Leave a review and maybe a suggestion to make the story better. The next chapter should be up in a week or two, if I'm motivated enough. Thanks to skyflower51 for the continued support of my stories, and UESPwiki for my informational needs.**

**Note: I do own Oblivion, however not the rights to it. Most characters, but not all in this story are creative works of Bethesda Softworks, and not mine at all. Thank you.**


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